a new play by
Mat Smart Directed by Ron OJ Parson
steppenwolf for young adults presents
February 22march 13 2011
welcome from the
director: ron oj parson It is truly an honor to return to Steppenwolf to help bring this fine play by Mat Smart to life. A play that jumps off the page, literally from the top of the key. When I was first asked to embark on this project, I wondered who this writer was. I wasn’t familiar with his work and I had some questions about what I might be getting myself into. Sometimes it can be a rocky road with a new untested script—always a welcomed challenge, but something I had to think about. But after meeting Mat and reading his script, I felt the warmth and passion not only on the page, but in the man. I couldn’t wait to undertake this journey, explore and create this world with him. I felt like I had known him for years and we were definitely about to make something special happen. I have followed Steppenwolf for Young Adults audiences for years and have seen some powerful plays come out of the series. So I was eager to be a part of this year’s commitment to our young people and one of our bright new voices of the theatre. The play deals with two brothers who couldn’t be more different, but both are dealing with an inner spirit. Both need to know who they really are—one is eager to find out and the other scared of what he might learn, but both are on the same road to discovery. Samuel J. and K. evokes that need in us all to explore and discover who we are in the early years of life. I couldn’t help but relate to the lives portrayed in the play and the spirit it evoked in me, as well. Among other things, it considers what family means and the importance of our past as it relates to our future. It made me think about my relationship with my own brother. Even though neither of us are of a different race or adopted, the relationship in the play seemed very close to home. When I look for something to direct, I look for a play that I can grasp onto. And this play did that for me. In fact, it made me call my brother. As a sports fan, it was fun having basketball as a big part of the audition process. So much in life is settled on the court or the gridiron or the baseball diamond. No different here. We had to have brothers who could play. Basically, you could be a great actor, but if you had no game you weren’t going to be able to hang.
I hope this play does for the audience what it did for me. It made me think about my own family and my relationship with them. I thought “maybe I will go home and hug my brother.” I hope audiences will think the same way. Maybe they will go home and hug their brothers and sisters and kiss their moms and dads after the show. I hope the play makes people want to learn more about Cameroon. It made me go to the library and get some books about Cameroon to see what it is like. In America, we often have such an ignorant view of Africa, from negative images in the media. Finally, I hope there is conversation when the audience leaves the theater. A lot of times people leave the theater talking about where to have dinner. I like plays that make people talk about the experience they just had. In my work as a director, my mission is to educate and entertain wherever possible, and I believe with Samuel J. and K. we will achieve both goals splendidly. My career started when a theatre company came to my junior high school in Buffalo, New York—it affected me profoundly. It led to my becoming an actor and director. Samuel J. and K. takes us on a journey that I believe many young men and women will be able to relate to. If we can move one student to explore, discover and achieve their goals in life—then we will have achieved one of ours.
Director Ron OJ Parson
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Artistic Director Martha Lavey†
Executive Director David Hawkanson
Steppenwolf for Young Adults Artistic and Educational Director Hallie Gordon Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents
By Mat Smart Directed by Ron OJ Parson Featuring Cliff Chamberlain* and Samuel G. Roberson, Jr.* Scenic Design Jack Magaw+, Costume Design Melissa Torchia, Lighting Design J.R. Lederle, Sound Design Kevin O’Donnell+, Casting Director Erica Daniels, Dramaturg Polly Carl, Fight Director David Chrzanowski, Stage Manager Beth Ellen Spencer*
The world premiere of Samuel J. and K. was produced by the Williamstown Theatre Festival Nicholas Martin, Artistic Director on WTF first performance date. Samuel J. and K. was developed with support from the Playwrights’ Center’s Jerome Fellowship Program, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Corporate Production Sponsor
Corporate Sponsor of Steppenwolf for Young Adults
Sponsor of 2-for-1 Sunday Matinees
Additional Support for Samuel J. and K.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a constituent of Theatre Communication Group (TCG), the national organization for nonprofit professional theater.
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Photo by: Michelle Nolan
* member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers. + member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829 of the IATSE.
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cast/contributors cast (in alphabetical order) Cliff Chamberlain* Samuel G. Roberson, Jr.*
Samuel J. Samuel K.
setting Naperville, Illinois and La Mare Pogué and Yaoundé, Cameroon. Present There will be one 10-minute intermission. There will be a post-show discussion immediately following the performance.
understudies
additional staff
Keith Neagle Samuel J. Greg Williams Samuel K.
Whitney Dibo Assistant Dramaturg Joann White Charge Scenic Artist Melissa Rutherfoord Assistant Charge Artist Olivia Castillon Stage Management Apprentice Jacob Lorenz, Matt Retzlaff Run Crew
Visit steppenwolf.org/education/teachers/studyguides/ for the Samuel J. and K. study guide, written by members of the Steppenwolf for Young Adults!
As a courtesy to the actors and your fellow patrons, please turn off your cell phones before the performance and after the intermission.
The taking of photographs and the use of any type of recording device are not allowed in the theater during performances and are a violation of state and federal copyright laws. Digital media will be deleted, and tape or film will be confiscated.
* member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.
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Cliff Chamberlain (Samuel J.) is thrilled and honored to return to Steppenwolf. Previous Steppenwolf credits include Superior Donuts (also on Broadway at The Music Box Theatre), Ski Dubai, Theatrical Essays and The House Theatre of Chicago’s transfer of The Sparrow. Chicago credits include The Seagull, Magnolia and A True History of the Johnstown Flood (Goodman Theatre); The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Northlight Theatre); and Dolly West’s Kitchen (TimeLine Theatre). Cliff is a Company Member with The House, a founding member of Sandbox Theatre Project, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and The School at Steppenwolf and a proud husband to his darling Robyn. Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. (Samuel K.) is very excited to be making his Steppenwolf debut. Chicago credits include: The Colored Museum and Sanctified (Congo Square Theatre); Living Green and The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theater); and The Ballad of Emmett Till (Goodman Theatre). Roberson has also been seen on the stage at Penumbra Theatre, The Children’s Theatre Company, The Pillsbury House Theatre, Illusion Theater, Imagination Stage, Source Theatre and The Studio Theatre. He is also President and Founder of Make Me a Match Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of patients with bloodrelated diseases. He is graduate of Howard University and thanks his family, friends and his wonderful wife for their constant support and motivation.
Keith Neagle (u/s Samuel J.) is grateful to be working with Steppenwolf for the first time. Chicago credits include: Sweet Bird of Youth and Smilin’ Jack (The Artistic Home); a staged reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later (About Face Theatre at The Goodman Theatre); punkplay (at the Steppenwolf Garage), Fracture/ Mechanics, Arrangements, Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century and 365 Days/Plays (Pavement Group); The Pigeons (Walkabout Theater); Everything Freezes: Another Winter’s Tale (Sideshow Theatre); and Yes, This Really Happened to Me (Theatre Seven); among others. Keith is a proud company member of Pavement Group and a recent graduate of The School at Steppenwolf. Greg Williams (u/s Samuel K.) is elated to be working with Steppenwolf. The Waukegan native received his BFA from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He was last seen in the first annual Chicago Fringe Festival’s And Ya Don’t Stop: A Hip Hop Play. He has also worked with Remy Bumppo Theatre as well as Point of Contention Theatre. Mat Smart (Playwright) is a current McKnight Advancement Grant recipient and a former two-time Jerome Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center. Plays include: Samuel J. and K. (Williamstown Theatre Festival); The Hopper Collection (Magic Theatre and Huntington Theatre Company); The 13th of Paris (City Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Public Theatre of Maine, Warehouse Theatre, Seattle Public Theater and upcoming at LiveWire in Chicago); and The Bebop Heard in Okinawa (O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference). He is a co-founder of Slant Theatre Project in New York City and serves on the Board of Directors for The New Harmony Project. Undergraduate: University of Evansville. MFA: UCSD.
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In rehearsal photos by Joel Moorman Ron OJ Parson (Director) hails from Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Professional Theatre Program. He is a Resident Artist at the Court Theatre, most recently serving as the director of Home. Locally, Ron has worked at the The Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Black Ensemble Theatre, ETA, Chicago Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Writers’ Theatre, Eclipse Theatre and UrbanTheater Company, to name a few. For Steppenwolf, Ron has directed The Horn, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train and Wedding Band, and appeared in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with Gary Sinise, directed by Terry Kinney. Jack Magaw (Scenic Design) lives in Chicago and teaches design at both DePaul and Northwestern Universities. He most recently designed The Fall to Earth and First Look (2007) for Steppenwolf. Other recent Chicago and regional theatre credits include Eclipsed, A Life and Lowdown Dirty Blues (Northlight Theatre); Heroes (Peninsula Players Theatre); Home, Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Mystery of Irma Vep (Court Theatre); Funny Girl (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Mauritius (TheatreSquared); She Loves Me, The Old Settler and Picnic (Writers’ Theatre); All My Sons (TimeLine Theatre); Evie’s Waltz (Geva Theatre); This Wonderful Life (Indiana Repertory Theatre); Radio Golf (Pittsburgh Public Theatre); Winesburg, Ohio and A Flea in Her Ear (Kansas City Repertory); Four Places (Victory Gardens Theater) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Clarence Brown Theatre). He received Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for Picnic and Bus Stop (Writers’ Theatre); Fences (Court Theatre); and Seven Guitars (Congo Square Theatre). Upcoming projects include Gee’s Bend (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Cabaret (Kansas City Repertory); and Bug (Redtwist Theatre) which he will
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co-direct and design with Kimberly Senior. www.jackmagaw.com Melissa Torchia (Costume Design) is thrilled to design with Steppenwolf for the first time. Other credits include: Peter Pan (Lookingglass Theatre); Not Wanted On The Voyage (American Musical Theatre Project); The Importance of Being Earnest (Remy Bumppo); Sugar (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Abigail’s Party (Red Orchid Theatre); End Days (Next Theatre); Kill The Old, Torture Their Young (Steep Theatre); Bye, Bye, Birdie! (Northwestern University). Ms. Torchia is currently completing her Masters in Costume Design from Northwestern University. In June of 2011, Melissa will be presenting her design work at the Prague Quadrennial, an international scenography conference. Upcoming shows: Aida (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Grease (American Theatre Co.); and The Verona Project (California Shakespeare Theater). J.R. Lederle (Lighting Design) also designed To Kill A Mockingbird, The House on Mango Street, The Bluest Eye (also at New Victory in New York), Harriet Jacobs, The Water Engine (also at Theater on The Lake), A Tale of Two Cities, Winesburg Ohio, Division Street and Whispering City for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. His work has also been seen at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Piven Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, About Face Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Remy Bumppo Theatre, Writers’ Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Walkabout, Itinerant Theatre Guild, Indiana Repertory Theatre and elsewhere. J.R. also designed lighting for seven years of the Steppenwolf Traffic Series and five Steppenwolf performances in Chicago’s Millennium Park. He has served as head of the Lighting Department at Steppenwolf Theater Company since 1995.
Playwright Mat Smart with Director Ron OJ Parson
Samuel G. Roberson, Jr., Director Ron OJ Parson and Cliff Chamberlain
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Kevin O’Donnell (Sound Design) is thrilled to be back at Steppenwolf where he has worked on Sex with Strangers, Art, The House on Mango Street and The Elephant Man, as well as The Nutcracker, The Sparrow, The Three Penny Opera, 4.48 Psychosis and Sketchbook 8 (Visiting Company Initiative). He has received six Jeff Awards, 16 nominations and two consecutive After Dark Awards for Outstanding Season. In Chicago, he has worked at Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, TimeLine Theatre, ATC, Redmoon Theatre and The House Theatre (company member). Regionally his work has been heard at The Public Theater, DTW, Cherry Lane, 59E59 and St. Anne’s Warehouse (NYC), Stages Rep (Houston), Taper Forum (LA) and A.C.T. (San Francisco). As a musician, Kevin has recorded and/or performed with Andrew Bird, Jon Rauhouse, Nickel Creek, Jon Wesley Harding, Roger Eno and many others. Polly Carl (Dramaturg) joined Steppenwolf Theatre Company in September 2009 in a newly created position, Director of Artistic Development. With the Steppenwolf artistic staff, Carl produces the Garage Series—nine plays in repertory, supports new play development and commissions, and participates in season planning. She has also been dramaturg on Bruce Norris’ A Parallelogram and Lisa D’Amour’s Detroit since her arrival. Prior to Steppenwolf, she served 11 years at the Playwrights’ Center – seven as Producing Artistic Director. At the Center, Carl programmed the Ruth Easton Lab and served as the Lab’s lead dramaturg. Carl has sat on numerous boards, panels and committees including the Steinberg Advisory Committee to select their distinguished playwright award – the Mimi, the NEA Theater panel
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and the MAP Fund panel. Her Ph.D. in Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society is from the University of Minnesota. David Chrzanowski (Fight Director) is thrilled to be collaborating with Steppenwolf Theatre for the first time. Local fight credits include: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Directed by Ron OJ Parson, Court Theatre); Scorched, Back of the Throat, Durango, and Golden Child (Silk Road Theatre Project); Sinbad, A Child Shall Lead (Adventure Stage); Passion, CPS Shakespeare! Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Carmilla (Wildclaw Theatre). David is a 2010 recipient of the CAAP grant for fight training and company member at both Silk Road Theatre Project and Polarity Ensemble Theatre. Beth Ellen Spencer (Stage Manager) is delighted to be making her Steppenwolf debut. In Chicago, Beth has served as a Stage Manager for Candide (Goodman Theatre). Other regional theatre credits include: Production Stage Manager for Candide (Shakespeare Theatre Company); five seasons as Assistant Stage Manager and Production Stage Manager working on shows including Into the Woods, Arabian Nights, Broke-ology, Radio Golf and King Lear (Kansas City Repertory Theatre); five seasons as Production Stage Manager on shows including King Richard III, Othello and King Henry V (Heart of America Shakespeare Festival). Hallie Gordon (Steppenwolf for Young Adults Artistic and Educational Director) Hallie has created and facilitated many educational programs for Steppenwolf. Along with selecting the Young Adult productions each season, she created the Young Adult Council, a group of high school
students that collectively help to create innovative programming for their peers. As Educational Director, Hallie has worked closely with the Chicago Public Schools to create an environment in which all students and teachers have access to the theatre. As a theatre artist, Hallie has directed The House on Mango Street (adapted for the stage by Tanya Saracho); the world premiere of Harriet Jacobs (adapted for the stage by Lydia R. Diamond); a new premiere of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (also adapted by Lydia R. Diamond, Black Excellence Award from the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago) and To Kill a Mockingbird—all for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. She also directed Eclipsed at Northlight Theatre. Hallie is also currently serving as the Artistic Director of the Chicago Park District’s Theatre on The Lake and is a recipient of the Helen Coburn Meier & Tim Meier Achievement award for her work as a theatre artist. Martha Lavey (Artistic Director) has been an ensemble member since 1995 and has appeared at Steppenwolf in Endgame, Up, Good Boys and True, Love-Lies-Bleeding, Lost Land, I Never Sang for My Father, The House of Lily, Valparaiso, The Memory of Water, The Designated Mourner, Supple in Combat, Time of My Life, A Clockwork Orange, Talking Heads, SLAVS!, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Ghost in the Machine, A Summer Remembered, Love Letters, Aunt Dan and Lemon and Savages. Elsewhere in Chicago she has performed at the Goodman, Victory Gardens, Northlight and Remains theaters and in New York at the Women’s Project and Productions. She has served on grants panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, The Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Three Arts, USA Artists and the City Arts panel of Chicago. Lavey holds a doctorate in Performance Studies from
Northwestern University and is a member of the National Advisory Council for the School of Communication at Northwestern and is Board President of TCG. She is a recipient of the Sarah Siddons Award and an Alumni Merit Award and honorary Doctorate of Arts from Northwestern University. David Hawkanson (Executive Director) prior to Steppenwolf was the Managing Director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling. Before the Guthrie, he served for eight years as the Managing Director of Hartford Stage Company in Connecticut with Artistic Director, Mark Lamos. Earlier in his career, he was Managing Director of the Arizona Theater Company and a Guest Administrator at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre. He was a former senior staff member at the National Endowment for the Arts and subsequently chairman of its Theater Program. He has also had an active career as an arts consultant and trustee for such national organizations as the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays, the Ford Foundation’s Working Capitol Fund, National Arts Stabilization Fund, the League of Resident Theatres, Theatre Trustees of America, Theatre Communications Group and the American Arts Alliance. He currently serves as a trustee of Door County’s Peninsula Players and the League of Chicago Theatres and is Chairman of the Illinois Arts Alliance.
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Coming Home to Naperville
A discussion with Playwright Mat Smart and Director of Artistic Development Polly Carl.
Polly Carl: Mat, what made you decide to become a playwright? Mat Smart: Well, there were two really formative experiences and they both happened during high school. I grew up in Naperville, where the play is set, and during high school I did a production of King Arthur. The director really got us all on the same page and it was a kind of collaborative experience I’d never had before. I also went to a Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of The Crucible, and it was really the most powerful piece of art I’d ever experienced. I thought, if I could just be part of that, then that’s what I want to do. So it’s really trippy to be coming back. I never would have thought, as a kid sitting in that audience, that I would later write a play that other kids would come and see. It’s a cool thing. PC: I love that story. Did you study theatre in college? MS: I wanted to be an actor. And then during my first year of college, three girls from my high school were killed by a drunk driver. It was the first time I knew anyone my age who had died. The only way I could make sense of it, because it was such a senseless, horrible thing that happened, was to write a play about it. I now find the plays that really speak to me are the ones that ask questions I can’t otherwise get past. PC: That’s such a great way to think about the reason we create art—to tell stories, to help us illuminate the parts of our lives that don’t make sense. Tell me about where you got the idea for Samuel J. and K. MS: The play was inspired by two things: me growing up in Naperville and then later taking a trip to Cameroon. One night I stayed out in a Cameroonian village and just had an experience like none other I’d had in my life. And so for me, the play
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is a collision of those two lives. How can you feel so connected to a foreign place when you’ve just arrived? And then other times you feel like a foreigner in your own hometown. The play asks questions like that. What is home? What is family? PC: So, how do you describe home now? Do you say you’re from Naperville? MS: You know, there are people from the suburbs who say they’re from Chicago. Then you ask them, “Oh, where in Chicago?” and they’re like, “Aurora.” But I’m proud of where I’m from. I had a great time growing up there, but there’s still a lot to complain about. I suppose that’s true of anywhere. But I do feel at home in Naperville—my mom still lives there, I still go there all the time and it feels good to drive by the hospital I was born in. It’s actually right down the road from the cemetery I hope to be buried in. PC: How did you decide to travel to Cameroon? MS: I took a World Literature class in college that ended up being all about African literature. My professor was just a great teacher and had a lot of experience living in Africa. He actually went to Cameroon right after I graduated and offered to be my host if I traveled there. So I was granted a lot of access to the country because he’d been in Cameroon for almost a year. PC: I know you’re a huge sports fan. Can you talk about how that influences your writing? MS: One thing I love about sports is that you never know what’s going to happen. You know, you can have a home game, and the home team is supposed to win, but they get steamrolled. I think it’s exciting to try to take some of that and bring it into the theatre. PC: And your play really uses basketball as part of the action. Can you talk about the theatricality of basketball on stage? MS: You know, I initially wrote the basketball scenes offstage, because I didn’t think any theatre would want basketball onstage. But it turned out to be important that the game is really happening in front of the audience. I hope the audience will be excited to see that, because it’s not something you see very often. It’s a real game happening up there, not a metaphorical one. Of course there are places in the script where the actors are supposed to make the basket, and if they don’t—well, we have contingency plans.
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From Naperville, Illinois to Yaoundé, Cameroon by Whitney Dibo
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t goes without saying that Naperville, Illinois and Yaoundé, Cameroon are two very different places. In addition to being more than 6,500 miles apart, Naperville and Yaoundé have extremely disparate demographics, geography, history and traditions. And yet despite all odds, Samuel J. and Samuel K. are brothers whose roots respectively trace back to these vastly different regions. Naperville, Illinois: A suburb of Chicago with just under 150,000 residents, Naperville is actually the 5th largest city in the state. 82% of residents are Caucasian, 12.5% AsianAmerican, 2.5% African-American
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and 3% are other races. Just under half of the households in Naperville include children under the age of 18 and 70 percent of all households include married couples living together. With a median family household income of over $120,000 annually, Naperville is one of the most affluent suburbs in Illinois. It is also home to three public libraries, an independent film festival and eight different universities or university satellites. In 2006, Money Magazine named Naperville the second Best Place to Live in the United States, primarily due to its strong public school system, low crime rate and its comfortable proximity to Chicago.
Yaoundé, Cameroon: The bustling capital of The Republic of Cameroon, Yaoundé is home to approximately 1.1 million residents, most of whom speak both English and French. Originally settled by German ivory traders in 1888, Yaoundé was taken over by the French following Germany’s defeat in WWI. In 1960, The Republic of Cameroon became an independent state and has since experienced relative economic and political stability compared to its neighboring countries (Nigeria to the west, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east and the Republic of the Congo to the south). Yaoundé is located in the country’s Centre region, Cameroon’s intellectual and cultural hub. The city is home to
large colorful outdoor markets, a soccer stadium and numerous museums and universities (including The University of Yaoundé, the country’s most important higher education institution) and enjoys a temperate tropical climate with a length rainy season. The main industries in Yaoundé are food and timber processing, brick making, construction and artisan trades such as pottery. Directly outside of Yaoundé lives a thriving farming population, producing foods like plantains, groundnuts, yams, tropical fruits and livestock that are processed and sold in the capital.
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steppenwolf staff
board of trustees
Artistic Director
Executive Artistic Board
Executive director
Martha Lavey
Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise
david hawkanson
Artistic Polly carl Director of Artistic Development ERICA DANIELS Director of Casting and the School at Steppenwolf JOY MEADS Literary Manager REBECCA RUGG Associate Producer NICK WARD Casting and School Assistant TRACY LETTS AMY MORTON ANNA D. SHAPIRO RICK SNYDER JESSICA THEBUS Associate Artists SHELDON PATINKIN Artistic Consultant STEPPENWOLF FOR YOUNG ADULTS HALLIE GORDON Artistic and Educational Director, Steppenwolf for Young Adults Lindsey Barlag Education Associate WHITNEY DIBO Program Specialist JAMIE ABELSON LARA DOSSETT AMANDA JANE DUNNE LARRY GRIMM ROBERT HINES III Lynn lockwood murphy NICOLE RIPLEY EMILIO ROBLES CARLA STILLWELL Teaching Artists
Administration DAVID M. SCHMITZ Managing Director
JESSICA GRETCH Individual Giving Coordinator
JIMMY FREUND Audience Services Manager
RACHEL DOMARACKI Director of Finance
PAUL G. MILLER Development Coordinator
STEPHANIE HELLER Audience Services Subscription Manager
LORI DAVIDSON Director of Events Management
Molly Kobelt Special Events Associate
SCOTT MACOUN IT Manager
ANNIE M. LEBEDOFF Individual Giving Associate
CAT TRIES Company Manager MEGAN SHUCHMAN Human Resources & Diversity Programs Coordinator BRIAN HURST Finance Associate LUPE GARCIA Quiles Events Management Associate Angela johnson Office Management Associate & Receptionist
HILARY ODOM KLINE Development Associate Suzanne Miller Donor Services Associate MARKETING, publicity & AUDIENCE Services LINDA GARRISON Director of Marketing and Communications
RICHARD KANG IT Assistant
DAVID ROSENBERG Communications Director
JAMES PALMER Executive Assistant
YAEL EYTAN Marketing Director
DEVELOPMENT SANDY KARUSCHAK Director of Development KATY E. HALL Director of Corporate Relations RUTH STINE Director of Major Gifts DEBORAH STEWART Director of Foundation and Government Relations ERIC EVENSKAAS Director of Individual Giving and Donor Services KENDRA VAN KEMPEN Director of Special Events
JULIA DOSSETT MORGAN Promotions and Media Manager THOMAS WEITZ Digital Assets Manager LUCAS CRAWFORD Marketing Associate JOEL MOORMAN Digital Content Producer SUSANNAH KIM Digital Design Associate LUIS A. IBARRA Graphic Designer NORA TAYLOR Marketing and Program Associate TAMARA TODRES Director of Audience Services
Mike brunlieb MATTHEW LYLE Audience Services Supervisors Allan Waite Group Sales Associate Roseann Bishop TARA BRANHAM Rebecca Butler BILLIE BRYANT ALI HOEFNAGEL MELISSA KLAAS SOTIRIOS LIVADITIS MARISSA MCKOWN MEG SANTISI elizabeth schewe rachel welling Audience Services Associates Operations JAY JUSSAUME Director of Operations CORY CONRAD Facilities Manager ANDERS JACOBSON RYAN PALMA Facilities Staff
MUSTAFA CHAUDHRY DONALD COULSON DURAN JOHNSON PETER VAN KEMPEN Parking Staff JACK MEYER, THE SAINTS Volunteer Usher Coordination Production AL FRANKLIN Production Manager DIXIE UFFELMAN Production Coordinator RUSSELL POOLE Technical Director ADEN WATSON Assistant Technical Director ROGELIO RIOJAS Scene Shop Foreman KEN BLENC ROBERT BROWN MARCOS EVERSTIJN Scenic Carpenters Jenny DiLuciano Properties Master ANDRIA SMITH Assistant Properties Master CHARLES MOSER Master Properties Artisan
VICTOR DAVID NILA KHATIWADA HAROLD KRIPPS Ethan ozaniec BHAGIRATH TIMSINA Custodial Staff
DAWN PRZYBYLSKI Stage Carpenter
EVAN HATFIELD Front of House Manager
CARYN WEGLARZ KLEIN Costume Director
LIBET WILFONG House Manager
MAE HASKINS Assistant Costume Designer
RON BOGACKI MATT CAMPBELL Julia Curns Kassandra Deans Heidi Germann ROBERT HINES III JESSICA LIND Becky Mock Christine Olivier RICHARD RUBIO Danielle shindler Catherine Smyka MARA STERN Cat Tries Front of House Staff
RICK HAEFELE House Carpenter
LAUREL CLAYSON Head Draper KEVIN PETERSON Shop Foreman Myron Elliott Staff Draper JESSICA STRATTON Wardrobe Supervisor
erin Cook Staff Dresser MARTHA WEGENER Audio Engineer GREGOR MORTIS Assistant Audio Engineer J. R. LEDERLE Lighting Supervisor ERNESTO GOMEZ House Electrician MALCOLM EWEN CHRISTINE D. FREEBURG LAURA D. GLENN MICHELLE MEDVIN DEB STYER ROSE MARIE PACKER KATHLEEN PETROZIELLO Stage Managers CALL CENTER CASEY VANWORMER Call Center Manager PATRICK WALSH Call Center Supervisor SYDNEY CRISTOL LAUREN FISHER CHARLES FRYDENBERG TYLER GREENE MARILYN HILLARY TIMOTHY MCGUIRE Call Center Representatives APPRENTICES Michael Huey Kendra Miller Jessica Rosenlieb Joelle Weber Maria Gerbino Aaron Pijanowski Richard Fields Morgan Washington Lauren Sivak Kelly Kerwin Henry Riggs Erin Dodd Liesl Pereira Jessica Korpela Olivia Castillon Kelly Crook Ashley Singh
Executive Committee Nora Daley Conroy, Chair Eric Lefkofsky, Secretary Paul W. Goodrich, Treasurer Henry S. Bienen Douglas R. Brown Michael Cahan Sharon Fairley Lynn Lockwood Murphy Deborah H. Quazzo Randall K. Rowe Bruce Sagan Harry J. Seigle Stephanie B. Smith Helen Zell
Martha Lavey Janet Melk Geoff Nyheim Susan A. Payne David C. Pisor Kenneth J. Porrello Mark L. Prager Merle Reskin Francis C. Sadac Michael R. Salem John R. Samolis Manuel “Manny” Sanchez Anna D. Shapiro John R. Walter Willard L. Woods, Jr.
Trustees
Emeritus Trustees
Sarah Beardsley David H. Blake Carole L. Brown Terri L. Cable Keith Cardoza Dennis Cary Elizabeth H. Connelly Beth Boosalis Davis J. Scott Etzler Rich Feitler John N. Fox, Jr. Scott P. George Lawrence M. Gill Robert J. Greenebaum, Jr. John H. Hart John Hass George A. Joseph David S. Kalt Donna La Pietra
J. Robert Barr Lawrence Block Gloria Scoby
National Committee Members Joan Allen Carolyn Bivens Lynette Harrison Brubaker Michael J. Cavanagh John H. Costello Edward R. Erhardt Matthew J. Scheckner Gary Sinise
Past Chairpersons William L. Atwell Larry D. Brady Douglas R. Brown Laurence Edwards John N. Fox, Jr. Elliott Lyon Gordon Murphy William H. Plummer Bruce Sagan Gloria Scoby Donna Vos
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of those who provide significant support for Steppenwolf for young adults during the 2010/11 season. Grand Benefactors $100,000+
Sponsors $2,500-$4,999
William Randolph Hearst Foundations‡
Carol Lavin Bernick
Polk Bros. Foundation‡
Douglas R. Brown
Steppenwolf’s Auxiliary Council *
Nancy and John DiCiurcio Weezie and Jack Kramer
Benefactors $50,000-$99,999
Liz and Eric Lefkofsky
Alphawood Foundation
Beth and J. Barry Mitchell
The Crown Family‡
Jaclyn Warren
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Target
Guarantors $1,000-$2,499 Kris Alden and Trisha Rooney Alden
Producers $25,000-$49,999
Bob and Trish Barr
Motorola Foundation
Robin Loewenberg Berger and Louis Berger
Barrett B. Murphy and Lynn Lockwood Murphy‡
Melvyn E. Bergstein Cathy and Michael Brennan
Patrons $10,000-$24,999
Tim Cavanagh
CNA Financial Corporation
Jim and Sheila Clary
Field Foundation of Illinois
Ellen M. Costello
Lloyd A. Fry Foundation
Amy Eshleman and Lori Lightfoot
David Herro and Jay Franke
Sharon Fairley
David and Susan Kalt
David and Mimi Fiske
Northern Trust
Katie and Brian Flanigan
Dr. Scholl Foundation
Gordon and Wendy Gill
Siragusa Foundation
Dianna and Jim Goldman
UBS
M. Julie and Michael Gustafson David R. Hawkanson
Sustainers $5,000-$9,999
Kathie and Robert Kolodgy
Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation
Julie and Fred Latsko
Sean and Nora Daley Conroy
Martha Lavey
Ernst & Young LLP
Kenneth J. Porrello and Sherry L. McFall
John H. Hart and Carol Prins
Judith and Jeffrey Silverman
Grover Hermann Foundation
Kimo Williams
Illinois Tool Works Inc. George A. Joseph and Carolyn Bateman The McGraw-Hill Companies Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Foundation
The Steppenwolf Ensemble Joan Allen Kevin Anderson Alana Arenas Randall Arney Kate Arrington Ian Barford Robert Breuler Gary Cole Kathryn Erbe K. Todd Freeman Frank Galati Francis Guinan Moira Harris Jon Michael Hill Tim Hopper Tom Irwin Ora Jones Terry Kinney Tina Landau Martha Lavey Tracy Letts John Mahoney John Malkovich Mariann Mayberry Tarell Alvin McCraney James Vincent Meredith Laurie Metcalf Amy Morton Sally Murphy Austin Pendleton Jeff Perry William Petersen Yasen Peyankov Martha Plimpton Rondi Reed Molly Regan Anna D. Shapiro Eric Simonson Gary Sinise Lois Smith Rick Snyder Jim True-Frost Alan Wilder
‡ Multi year pledge
Nina B. Winston * Steppenwolf’s Auxiliary Council is a community of over 150 dynamic young professionals, who strive to make a difference for the next generation of theatre enthusiasts. All proceeds raised by the Auxiliary Council benefit Steppenwolf for Young Adults.
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Three productions presented in rotating repertory in The Garage at Steppenwolf from some of Chicago’s most innovative, young theatre companies. Sideshow Theatre Company presents
Heddatron
By Elizabeth Meriwether / Directed by Jonathan L. Green The Strange Tree Group presents
The three Faces of Doctor Crippen By Emily Schwartz / Directed by Jimmy McDermott UrbanTheater Company presents
Sonnets for an Old Century By José Rivera / Directed by Madrid St. Angelo in collaboration with Juan Castañeda and Ivan Vega
2011 Garage Rep February 11 - April 24
all tickets $20
Buy tickets online at steppenwolf.org/garagerep or call 312-335-1650. Groups (10+) Call 312-932-2422. Support for the Garage Rep comes through the “Leading for the Future Initiative”, a program of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.